👋 Good morning!
It’s NBA Draft Lottery Day!
The Bulls have a 1.7% chance to move up 11 spots for the right to select Cooper Flagg No. 1 overall in next month’s draft.
Simple math tells us that leaves a 98.3% chance of disappointment later tonight.
Just remember, regardless of the outcome, the Bulls had their chance to blow it up and greatly improve their lottery odds, but instead opted to make a Play-In run behind Coby White and Josh Giddey.
Rookie Recap
The Bears completed their first rookie minicamp under new head coach Ben Johnson, with the three-day camp wrapping up on Sunday.
After three practice sessions and 12 press conferences, here are some of my takeaways from the weekend:
On Luther Burden » Nobody was wearing pads this weekend, but Burden’s route-running was crisp, and his catch-in-traffic skills were on full display when he reeled in a deep ball on a diving attempt toward the end of Saturday’s practice.
The Bears’ first second-round pick in last month’s draft was slow to get up, seemingly having had the wind knocked out of him. However, Burden was back on the grass on Sunday. Crisis averted.
On Eric Bieniemy » The two-time Super Bowl-winning OC will coach the running backs hard, but if history shows us anything, it’s that he’ll get the most out of the room, too.
His past with the Chiefs and with premier backs like Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles certainly caught the eye of Bears rookie RB Kyle Monangai:
“He's a legend, number one, to begin with. Just knowing his history, the people that he's coached, the teams he's been a part of. He's really insightful. Great coach, gets me ready for practice every day.”
B1G Shots Fired: Who doesn’t love a little friendly banter? When asked about being teammates with former college rivals like former Michigan tight end Colston Loveland, ex-Michigan State OL and sixth-round selection Luke Newman said:
“You wouldn’t notice that he was a Michigan player if you just met him for the first time.”
There’s a reasonable fear of hope in Chicago every time this year. As annual offseason champions, the Bears have had a knack in recent memory for looking okay on the practice field before crashing and burning on game day.
After all, we’re not learning a whole lot from three days of practice in May between a group of players who, for the most part, would be incredibly lucky to make it through training camp.
But coaching style is the biggest thing that translates. And that’s why special teams coordinator Richard Hightower’s comments from Sunday on Ben Johnson should carry weight.
Hightower, who was one of the few holdovers from Matt Eberflus’ staff, experienced the dysfunction firsthand, and he witnessed the lack of accountability throughout the building a year ago.
Asked after Sunday’s practice what impressed him most about the new staff, Hightower said: “We got really good teachers here, and we got people that hold people really accountable.”
On Ben Johnson, Hightower said: “[Johnson] doesn’t mess around. Like, he got a switch, and it is phenomenal, and we all follow his lead. So, I've been thoroughly impressed with the coaching staff. I think Ben did an excellent job putting it together.”
Again, it’s just rookie minicamp. But for a team that clamored for better accountability from the top of last year’s staff, Hightower’s comments should be music to everybody’s ears.
For more from Halas Hall, check out my notes on each day of minicamp:
Quick Hits
MERCY! Tim Elko! Talk about an entrance into the big leagues. Called up from Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday, Elko picked up his first major league hit in poetic fashion: a go-ahead three-run home run in the 6th inning at home on Sunday. Doesn’t get much better than that.
BIG DEBUT: Cade Horton didn’t start in his major league debut, but he picked up the win by official scorer’s discretion. Horton, the Cubs’ top pitching prospect, was officially added to the 26-man roster on Saturday before tossing 4 IP, allowing four hits and three runs, but striking out five.
The numbers weren’t terrific, but the performance was an overall success, bringing the Cubs their only win since last Monday. The Cubs are 1-4 in their last five games, leading the surging St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central by just one game.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The NFL will release the full league schedule for the upcoming season on Wednesday night, with broadcast partners announcing select games over the next few days.
I’m very interested to see who the Ben Johnson era of Bears football will begin against. Maybe the Lions, where Johnson left to come to Chicago. What about a shot at possible redemption for Tyrique Stevenson in Washington against the Commanders?
Today!
📺 CHGO Bears
12:00 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Blackhawks
2:00 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Bulls
6:00 on YouTube
🚨DRAFT LOTTERY SHOW🚨
⚾️ Cubs vs. Marlins
6:40 on Marquee
📺 CHGO Cubs
POSTGAME on CHGO Cubs YT
